- Turn this park’s frown upside down.
Lately, everyone’s got ideas for making downtown feel safer and welcoming. More cops on foot patrol: yes. Twenty million dollars in streetscape improvements: sure. A playground for the kiddies: you bet. But how about something that makes adults want to hang out downtown? How about a bar in Westlake Park?
That’s right: Put an outdoor restaurant right on that cold, unwelcoming granite tundra.
Set out a few dozen tables. Roll out those big-ass gas heat lamps. Install giant umbrellas. (Place some fire extinguishers nearby in case those big-ass heat lamps set fire to the giant umbrellas.) And then put a rope around the whole bazaar and let the public sit outside for a whiskey or a beer, a coffee or a sandwich. Make Seattle’s central plaza a town square enjoyable for chatting, people-watching, or just reading the paper. Far from kicking out the homeless, it would make them safer. Everyone’s safer when public spaces are active, with many eyes on the street, rather than empty spaces that create anonymity.
CONTINUE READING ABOUT THIS IDEA THAT COULD ONLY COME FROM A PART-TIME DRUNK! >>